Emerald Downs has been approved to race 52 dates in 2027. The Washington Horse Racing Commission (WHRC) on Friday unanimously granted the May 1-Sept. 19 calendar that track management had asked for and that horsemen had agreed to.Much of the Nov. 13 meeting had a just-treading-water vibe regarding the financial outlook for racing in the state.Discussion during the meeting centered on the need for legislative help to pay for the '27 Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) assessment, a concern that the WHRC itself might not get funded in the upcoming state budget, and the ongoing need for Emerald to access new revenue sources if the last commercial race meet in the Pacific Northwest is to remain viable.“There's a lot of unknowns as far as hopefully working on legislation and things that can help the industry. But right now, we're moving forward with this [racing schedule],” said Phil Ziegler, Emerald's president.In both 2025 and '26, Emerald got awarded 51 dates. Last year, the track ended up running 47 cards after cutting four dates in the middle of the meet because the Thoroughbred population could not support the addition of a third weekly day of racing. The season ended on Labor Day.“The horsemen will have a longer calendar, a couple of extra weekends that go into September a little deeper [next] year. We tried to listen to what the requests were. The pool of [purse] money doesn't change [and] the horse population is unknown. We're going to try to recruit some Quarter Horses, as we mentioned before,” Ziegler said.“Probably less races per day [in '27] to compensate for [adding five race dates]. But this is kind of what everyone said they wanted,” Ziegler said.Pat LePley, the president of the Washington Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (WHBPA), said his organization is working with Emerald to finalize details of the meet.“We're also putting together a purse schedule and working on a potential stakes schedule with management,” LePley said.After approving the dates, the WHRC unanimously voted to not to pay its $917,745 net HISA assessment for '27.When a commission does that, the financial responsibility must be covered by other stakeholders in the state.The WHRC had also voted to opt out of paying its '26 assessment. Those costs were eventually covered by the state and the track.Washington's gross assessment for '27 amounted to $1,219,653. That figure could be reduced by $301,908 in HISA credits if the commission and/or Emerald provides some services for drug testing sample collection and other administrative duties.Friday's vote on the HISA assessment came at a time when the commission's operation could be non-funded by the state in 2027, compounding the financial crunch related to regulating the sport.It was read into the record on Friday that the commission would likely run out of money by next August if the WHRC doesn't get added into the state budget.Doug Moore, the chairman of the WHRC, said he recently met with the governor's policy advisors to underscore the importance of keeping the commission operational at a time when many states are looking to cut spending by eliminating various agencies.“We talked a little bit about the investment into the commission to make sure that the state doesn't shut horse racing down [and the fact that] the state will receive 10 times over that investment [by funding the commission]. And that will disappear without the commission,” Moore said.Moore said that the policy advisors seemed to understand his reasoning, “and we're planning on meeting with more legislators now, or at least with their staff, trying to get that message out.“I mean, we approved the dates today. If we're not in the budget, we may have to come back and consider modifying dates. I don't know what we're going to have left,” Moore said.Moore summed up the financial landscape: “I hate to send out the doom and gloom and the fear that's going on across the West Coast, but that's the 'axe.' Without some help from the legislature, the commission will be out of business. And there's only one solution, and it's taking more money from the industry, which you can't afford either.”With regard to the commission possibly chipping in to pay for assessment costs if the WHRC does get state funding, Moore put it this way:“The only light I see at the end of the tunnel-and once again, we're asking and begging and screaming-[is] that if we were to get some relief from the legislature to make sure we stay operational, if there's anything extra at all that we could squeeze out, we could give back as a form of a grant. But I don't think we could commit to anything right now.”Added Ziegler: “If, in fact, we don't get help and this burden lands on us and the horsemen, it will hurt us. We've never had a per-start fee here since [HISA] started. The horsemen have not had to pay a dime in HISA fees because we've been able to cover it through the generosity from the legislature and also from the [track's owner, the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe]. But right now, if nothing happens, there's going to be a lot of pain, even with the credits,” Ziegler said.“We're all getting backed into the corner,” Moore said.“Yes,” Ziegler confirmed.The post Emerald Downs Approved for 52 Race Dates in 2027 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.